Chapter 237

Shortly after, the soul fires of Xie Chuan and Zhao Qi began flickering.

Zhao Qi’s soul fire particularly wavered dangerously, nearly extinguishing at one point.

Chen Yang immediately realized something was wrong. The Tiger-Chasing Eastern Expedition had proceeded smoothly for over a year, with Zhao Qi’s soul fire remaining steady except for occasional minor fluctuations.

Never before had they experienced such critical circumstances – one soul fire extinguished and another teetering on the edge.

"Major trouble struck the Eastern Expedition battlefield."

Chen Yang swiftly deduced the cause and focused on connecting with his externalized consciousness fragment.

After several hours of effort, fragmented information revealed the battlefield’s general situation.

Having lost half their territory, the Eastern Wilderness Seventh Prince finally succumbed to heavy pressure and surrendered.

He surrendered all remaining lands and swore fealty to the eastern region’s Great Prince.

This triggered the full unveiling of Eastern Wilderness’s hidden might.

An Eastern Wilderness force multiple times larger than Tiger-Chasing’s troops – including elite cultivators – suddenly reversed the war’s momentum, dealing heavy damage to Tiger-Chasing’s defensive lines.

Five major battles had occurred in rapid succession within half a month.

Frontline ordinary soldiers and accompanying cultivators suffered devastating losses from Eastern Wilderness’s encirclement tactics.

This forced Tiger-Chasing forces into full strategic retreat to avoid the Eastern Wilderness’s fiercest counteroffensive.

Eastern Expedition Battlefield, Central Frontline.

Under moonless skies, battered Tiger-Chasing remnants trudged along a hill’s slope.

Having retreated from the frontlines, they’d survived three enemy ambushes.

Three desperate breakouts reduced their ordinary soldiers to one-fifth of original numbers.

Of fifteen accompanying cultivators from three squads, one squad got completely wiped out – only six survived, with merely three still combat-ready.

Xie Chuan, possessing the highest cultivation level among survivors, guarded the rear despite grave injuries.

Flesh hung open across his arm, waist and back, revealing glimpses of white bone beneath.

Standard army medicinal powder proved useless now – only Yang Lingqing’s farewell gift of rejuvenating elixirs kept him alive during retreat.

Without those, he’d have died during the first ambush.

"Keep moving!" Xie Chuan barked while scanning the column’s head.

There staggered Dai Wei, clutching armless Chu Xuan’s unconscious form against his chest while carrying Zhao Qi – impaled through the right lung – strapped to his back.

Though using premium hemostatic elixirs, Dai Wei still felt warm blood steadily soaking through his clothes.

*Cough…* "Dai… Wei…" Zhao Qi rasped through blood-flecked lips.

"Senior Brother Zhao! You’re awake!"

Dai Wei shifted Chu Xuan’s limp body under one arm, retrieving a Healing Elixir with his free hand to press against Zhao Qi’s mouth.

Zhao Qi shook his head and didn’t take the elixir.

He’d consumed too many elixirs these past days, with elixir poison accumulating to dangerous levels in his body.

The side effects of this Healing Elixir would now outweigh its benefits.

"Keep it for yourself."

Baring his teeth, Zhao Qi steadied his breathing and asked, "Mr. Liang… did you bring…"

"Right here!"

Dai Wei shook the bloodstained leather pouch at his waist.

It contained fragments of Liang Yi’s body.

During their third breakout attempt, the gravely wounded Liang Yi had grabbed an Eastern Wilderness human thunder and detonated himself in a self-destruction with an enemy cultivator to save Zhao Qi.

In the chaos, Dai Wei could only collect the body parts that landed near him.

"Good… When we meet enemies next, leave me behind."

"I’ll never abandon you, Senior Brother!"

Dai Wei shook his head fiercely, scrubbing tears across his bloodstained face.

The Yang Family survivors owed their continued existence to Zhao Qi’s leadership.

Without him, Dai Wei’s group would’ve fallen within three months at the frontline.

"Stubborn fool… *cough*… I’m more valuable to them. Leaving me will stop their pursuit."

Zhao Qi turned toward the female cultivator standing near Dai Wei, who carried another wounded comrade.

Though her body showed no major injuries, the absence of her lower jaw became apparent when she lifted her head.

"Here – I kept this for you."

With trembling hands, Zhao Qi produced a flesh fragment with attached bone from his waist pouch.

The female cultivator’s eyes filled with gratitude when she recognized her severed chin.

Preserving this meant possible facial reconstruction after reaching safety.

"Dai Wei, summon Xie Chuan."

"At once!"

When Xie Chuan arrived and saw Zhao Qi conscious, relief washed over him.

"Twenty miles covered as you ordered." Xie Chuan unfolded the map.

Their southward route avoided direct retreat toward Tiger-Chasing westwards – Zhao Qi had predicted blocked escape routes there.

Breaking free from the Eastern Wilderness forces’ encirclement required this southern detour first.

Zhao Qi studied the map. "Five more miles, then east."

"East? Toward enemy territory?"

"Precisely." Zhao Qi rasped. "Our pursuers expect us to loop back west or south. After five miles east, we’ll turn north before racing west – drawing a circle to shake them off."

Xie Chuan nodded and issued commands.

By next dawn, the maneuver was complete. As Zhao Qi predicted, this circling tactic temporarily evaded main pursuers, letting them speed westward.

But the Eastern Wilderness had left five cultivators guarding the western approach. Their captain matched Xie Chuan’s fifth-level Gathering Qi cultivation, with four early-stage Gathering Qi comrades.

Though outnumbered and wounded, Xie Chuan’s group fought. Xie Chuan engaged the enemy captain while Dai Wei and the jawless female cultivator harried the remaining four.

Gathering Qi cultivators remained cautious of ordinary soldiers’ Heartfire Technique. Dai Wei shielded Zhao Qi before lunging at an approaching foe. His battlefield-honed Quick Sword Technique crippled the weakest third-level cultivator.

Now at second-level Gathering Qi, Dai Wei’s swordsmanship rivaled third-level opponents. The remaining three hung back, using long-range techniques to slow the retreat until reinforcements arrived.

But Tiger-Chasing had prepared countermeasures too. Mid-battle, three figures burst from western woods. The fastest moved with jarring motions – a kick flashed cold steel, beheading an Eastern Wilderness third-level cultivator instantly.

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